Hard To Love
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: Though she was fairly certain no other woman would take a bullet for him, or call him Doofus in such a way that it became a term of endearment rather than an insult. No one would protect him like she would, or love him like she could.


Another MM songfic, this time using Lee Brice's Hard To Love, which I think describes Mary absolutely perfectly. This is also my first IPS story that's a bit smutty, so I'm upping the rating. I know I said my next story would be an injured Marshall story, but it's being a little stubborn. But it's coming, I promise! LOL. In the meantime, enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

IPSIPSIPSIPS

"Mare?"

Mary Shannon lifted her head and glared at her best friend, Marshall Mann. "What?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed and lightly touched her arm. "I put Norah down for her nap." His thumb gently caressed her skin.

She nodded. "Thanks."

Three months ago, things had been very different. He had been engaged to Abigail, and Mary had no idea what she was doing with her life, along with struggling with her uncovered feelings for Marshall. It had been Abigail who had ended things, and after Marshall fled their home, she had reluctantly called Mary to tell her what happened. Mary had done the only thing she could do.

She went after him.

Now they had been together for two months, and though they were trying to take things slow, it finally felt like their lives were right again.

Leaning over, Marshall cupped her face in his large hand. Then he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her softly.

Groaning softly, Mary shifted underneath him and quickly took control of the kiss, as she so often tended to do.

He let her take control, because this was Mary and he always let her have her way. It was just how he was.

Moving with him, Mary pushed Marshall onto his back. Then she straddled his waist and reluctantly broke the kiss so that she could see his face. She was often reminded of how lucky she was to have a man like him, when she was so damn hard to love. She was difficult and arrogant, bossy, opinionated, aggressive and downright infuriating sometimes. How Marshall handled that for so long, she didn't know. But she was grateful.

Marshall watched her, his cerulean eyes intense. "You okay, Mare?" he whispered huskily.

Finally she nodded as she unzipped his jeans and tugged them off of his hips.

Her hand came into contact with the front of his boxers, and Marshall let his head fall back against the pillows at the head of their bed. A soft groan escaped his lips.

The sounds he made brought a smile to Mary's mouth, and she couldn't resist kissing him again as her hand slipped into his boxers.

She knew that she wasn't an easy person to love, but for some reason she couldn't fathom, Marshall did love her.

Growling softly, Marshall suddenly flipped Mary onto her back and pinned her against the mattress. Then he assaulted her neck with his lips.

A slight tremble went through Mary as she slipped her arms around Marshall's neck and held him tight.

"Don't stop…"

_I am insensitive, I have a tendency_

_To pay more attention _

_To the things that I need_

_Sometimes I drink too much_

_Sometimes I test your trust_

_Sometimes I don't know why you stay with me_

Mary knew he was home before the front door even opened, and she downed another shot of whiskey. The ache in her shoulder had finally subsided, replaced by the numbness of alcohol, and she could feel the storm coming.

The front door flew open, and Marshall stormed into the house, a look of rage on his face. Crossing the floor purposefully, he found Mary in the kitchen with a bottle and shot glass in front of her. He reached out and grabbed her uninjured arm, squeezing it tightly.

In all of their years as partners, Mary had only seen Marshall angry a few times, but she had never seen anything like this. She didn't meet his eyes.

He shook her lightly. "What the hell were you thinking, Mary?" he demanded.

She took another shot, then finally looked up at him. He was angry, but she could see the concern and fear in his eyes. "I couldn't lose you," she finally said simply.

"Couldn't lose me…? Mary, you took a bullet for me! What were you thinking?" His fingers tightened around her arm. "You have Norah to think about!"

"You're my partner!" She suddenly turned toward him and grabbed the front of his shirt. Then she yanked him closer to her. "I wasn't going to let anything happen to you."

"So you risked your life for me? Mary…"

"I love you, Marshall! Don't you get it? Without you…" She pulled him even closer to herself, until he could smell the whiskey on her breath. "I couldn't live without you. I don't want to try."

Before she could say anything else, his mouth was on hers, hot and probing. She groaned and willingly surrendered to him.

Gently pressing her against the counter, Marshall broke the kiss long enough to remove her shirt and toss it to the floor. Then he lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss against the bandage that covered the wound she'd received protecting him. The bullet had gone straight through with minimal damage, and after being stitched up, she had disappeared from the hospital. He had been infuriated with her, but now all he wanted to do was love her. He lifted her onto the counter and quickly helped her remove her jeans before he removed his own. Then he pushed himself into her, and they both sighed in pleasure.

As he began to move, Mary wrapped her arms around Marshall and held him tightly, ignoring the pain that surged through her injured shoulder. She had taken that bullet for him because she couldn't stand by and risk watching him die. She loved him, even if it taken years for her to finally realize it. And if she had it to do again, she would make the same choice, because his was a life worth saving. She knew that she didn't deserve a man like him, and she didn't always show him how much he meant to her, but he meant everything to her.

They both climaxed at the same time, and Mary gasped his name as she trembled against him.

"I need you, Mary," he whispered, burying his face in her neck. "I love you."

She nodded and kissed the side of his head, running her fingers through his damp hair.

_I'm hard to love, hard to love_

_No, I don't make it easy_

_I couldn't do it if _

_I stood where you stood_

_I'm hard to love, hard to love_

_But you say that you need me_

_Well, I don't deserve it but_

_I love that you love me good_

One night, after a late night at the office, Mary found herself curled up in bed with Marshall. She was becoming more and more domestic these days, and she couldn't stop it.

Norah was in her playpen by the bed, sleeping peacefully. Mary peered over the edge of the bed to check on her daughter. Then she moved closer to Marshall, who was sleeping.

In his sleep, Marshall moved closer to Mary and rested his head on her chest. Then he sighed and draped an arm over her, pulling her tightly against himself.

Mary smiled softly and gently smoothed his hair back. He was a good man, a much better man than she deserved. Difficult was putting it nicely, and she had a tendency to crash into his heart like a wrecking ball slamming into a condemned building. Yet he continued to stay for reasons that were beyond her. If the situation was reversed, she wasn't sure that she could tolerate being with someone who was so demanding and perpetually stubborn. She knew that she couldn't, in fact.

He was a better person than she was, and her only hope was that she wouldn't wind up driving him away one day, even though he did deserve someone so much better for him.

Though she was fairly certain no other woman would take a bullet for him, or call him Doofus in such a way that it became a term of endearment rather than an insult. No one would protect him like she would, or love him like she could.

Her arm tightened around him protectively, almost possessively.

Marshall smiled when Mary held him tighter. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he didn't want to disturb her. So he continued to breathe deeply, nestled against the woman he loved.

She was difficult, annoying, and downright infuriating sometimes, but he had loved her from the day he had met her. He had struggled with it for years, but after becoming engaged to Abigail, he had been forced to deal with those feelings in order to even try to have a life with Abigail. But before he had been able to, Abigail had broken off their engagement. In the heat of the moment, he had fled from their home, to a local tavern where he could drink his pain away. He had been on his fourth drink when Mary found him, and once again he was almost overwhelmed by his feelings for her. She had practically dragged him to her house, and when he woke up the following morning, he was surprised and delighted to find Mary sleeping beside him in the bed.

Their relationship hadn't been the easiest one, but for him, it was the best one he had ever been in. Maybe the relationship he'd had with Abigail was a more conventional and normal one, but with Mary, there was passion and fire. She didn't hold anything back, and he never felt like she was hiding a part of herself from him. With Mary, it was all or nothing, and he loved that about her. He always had.

Kissing Marshall's head, Mary sighed softly. Sometimes she wished that she was more like Marshall. More open, more trusting, more accepting… He took everything that she threw at him, and he always came back for more, though she had no idea why.

Her hand began stroking his bare back. His muscles were strong and reassuring beneath her hand, reminding her that this wasn't a dream.

"I love you, Marshall. I know I don't deserve you, but I really do love you."

He smiled at her soft declaration.

"I love you, too, Mare."

_I am a short fuse_

_I am a wrecking ball_

_Crashing into your heart like I do_

_You're like a Sunday morning_

_Full of grace and full of Jesus_

_And I wish that I could be more like you_

It was over her second cup of coffee one morning when it hit her.

She wanted to marry him.

Marshall was in the kitchen, cooking pancakes and bacon and whistling to himself. Norah was in her high chair, her chubby hands buried in a bowl of cheerios that had been placed in front of her.

Mary put down the paper she had been reading and looked over her shoulder. Marshall was flipping a pancake, his hips moving slightly to the beat of the tune he was whistling. A smile slowly crept across Mary's face.

She wanted to marry him.

Before Marshall, she had never been a big fan of marriage. She had said yes to Raph, mostly because she thought that she would lose him if she didn't, and at the time, she wasn't ready to lose him. Eventually he had broken off the engagement, and she had breathed a sigh of relief when he had. That told her that, despite the tears, she had been ready for it on some level. Maybe she knew all along that they would never actually make it to the altar.

But with Marshall, she wanted to make it to the altar. She wanted to stand in front of a group of their friends and family and vow to love and protect him for the rest of her life. She wanted to put that ring on his finger and know that he was hers for the rest of their lives.

"Hey, Marshall?"

"Yeah, Mare?"

She hesitated for just a moment, trying to decide how to word what she wanted to say. "Why don't we get married?"

Without skipping a beat, he replied, "When?"

"This summer sound good to you?"

"Sounds great."

She grinned and returned to her coffee. But a few moments later, Marshall came out of the kitchen and stopped next to her.

Mary looked up at him, but before she could say anything, he leaned over and slanted his mouth over hers. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss.

Yes, she wanted to marry him.

_I'm hard to love, hard to love_

_No, I don't make it easy_

_I couldn't do it if _

_I stood where you stood_

_I'm hard to love, hard to love_

_But you say that you need me_

_Well, I don't deserve it but _

_I love that you love me good_

That summer rolled around faster than they expected, and on June tenth, Mary and Marshall stood in front of their friends and family and promised to love and protect each other for the rest of their lives. Stan and Marshall's brothers Christopher and Jacob stood beside Marshall, and Mary's mother and sister stood beside her. Norah sat in Jinx's arms, happily watching the ceremony.

After the ceremony, Marshall and Mary walked onto the dance floor for the first time as husband and wife. Mary had kicked off her shoes, and though she wasn't one for dancing, she knew that he loved it.

Grinning, Marshall wrapped his arm around Mary's waist and pulled her firmly against him. Then he kissed her forehead sweetly as the music started to play.

Mary leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "We did it," she murmured.

"We did," he confirmed.

"Tonight…"

"Tonight we'll drop Norah off with Mark and we'll catch our flight." He brushed her hair back gently as he went through the plan that they had made weeks ago. It was the first time they would be without Norah for more than a night, and he knew that Mary was nervous about the whole thing. But Norah would be just fine with her father. Marshall was happy that Mark seemed to be handling the entire situation well. He and Marshall got along well, and Mark didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that Marshall was helping raise his daughter.

Mary snuggled into Marshall's shoulder and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his ring on her hand. A week after she proposed to him, he came back with a diamond ring, saying that he wanted to do it right. But when he went to drop to one knee, she had stopped him and taken the ring from him. Then she had put it on her finger herself. He laughed because when did they ever do things according to tradition?

Once she put that engagement ring on, she didn't take it off again. When she had been engaged to Raph, his ring had been like an anchor, dragging her down. She rarely wore it, except when she was around him. But putting Marshall's ring on had changed her. And while she was still the same (she had insisted on a small wedding with just their families and friends) she had changed in a lot of noticeable ways. And she was realizing that she didn't mind it so much.

Brandi approached Mary and Marshall with Norah in her arms. Her own baby was with Peter and Jinx.

Norah squealed and reached for her parents. "Dada!"

Grinning, Marshall reached out and took Norah into one arm. He kept the other arm around Mary.

"Hey, Bug." Mary kissed Norah.

"When are you two taking off?" Brandi wondered.

"Pretty soon," Marshall answered, happy to have his little family in his arms.

Mary glanced at her little sister. "Looking forward to getting rid of us, Squish?"

"Something like that."

Looking up at her new husband, Mary couldn't help smiling.

_Boy, you've given me a million second chances_

_And I don't ever want to take you for granted_

_I'm just a woman_

_Yeah, I'm just a woman_

That night, Mary squeezed Marshall's hand tightly after they were sitting in their seats on the airplane.

Marshall looked at his new wife. "You okay, Mare?"

She nodded, smiling when he threaded his fingers through hers.

Reassured, Marshall wrapped his free arm around her and drew her into his side. He was still in a state of shock that she had actually married him. There was a time when he thought that they would only ever be friends, and now they were bound to each other for the rest of their lives.

He didn't think that he could have been happier if he had tried.

_I'm hard to love, hard to love_

_No, I don't make it easy_

_I couldn't do it if _

_I stood where you stood_

_I'm hard to love, hard to love_

_And you say that you need me_

_I don't deserve it but _

_I love that you love me good_

A week later, Mary and Marshall finally returned home after their honeymoon. Mary was anxious to see her little girl, so they had arranged for Jinx to pick Norah up from Mark's and bring her to Mary's.

As soon as Marshall parked his truck in the driveway, Mary jumped out and raced inside. She could hear Norah laughing, and she laughed in delight when Jinx placed Norah in her arms.

"There's my bug…"

Marshall came in a few moments later with their luggage. He relished the sight of Mary looking so content with Norah in her arms. It was in that moment that he realized he wanted another baby. Mary didn't agree with him, but he knew that she was an incredible mother, and he wanted to give Norah a little brother or two.

Then again, if they never had a child, he was certain he could be happy because he loved Norah and he had Mary. They were his girls, his world, and he would do everything in his power to make them happy.

Mary caught the way Marshall was staring at her, and she smirked. "What are you looking at, Doofus?"

He chuckled and leaned in to kiss both of his girls. "Just the two most beautiful girls in the world."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mann."

"I think it will get me everywhere, Mrs. Mann."

She smiled at him, and for a moment, if only a moment, her world was right. She had a beautiful little girl, and she had just married her best friend. She knew that she wasn't perfect, and for the most part, he knew it, too. But she loved him and Norah more than anything in the world.

And maybe she was hard to love, but she had finally found a man who would love her, no matter what.

_I don't make it easy_

_I couldn't stood if I stood where you stood_

_I'm hard to love, hard to love_

_And you say that you need me_

_I don't deserve it but _

_I love that you love me good_

_You love me good_

_You love me good_

The End.

A/N: Hehe, I just love MM, even if the PTB were very stupid about the way the show was ended. Oh well. That's what fanfiction is for! And I would like to point out for those of you who think I only write fluff with a touch of angst, I'm only getting started in this fandom. Those of you who've read my other stories, you know what I'm talking about! Mary and Marshall will suffer! And Marshall will probably suffer just a bit more. LMAO. Thanks for reading, and please review!


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